The Hokage Initiative
by Taijen
Summary: Desperate to assure the safety of Konoha's 'King', the Hokage Initiative is launched to mold the village's most promising prospects (Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha) into Hokage candidate material! Follow their journey from mere genin to seasoned shinobi. What awaits our heroes in a world of ruthless assassins? This is killer's world and there's no room for little kids. Major AU!


_**The Hokage **_**_Initiative_**

_**Disclaimer : I do not in any form own Naruto.**_

_'Thoughts.'_

_"Reading."_

_"Jutsu."_

**_"Very loud talking."_**

"Normal dialogue."

* * *

"...Begin!"

The crowd stood silent yet their anticipation crackled through the air, this was the battle everyone dreamed of. Standing upon a raised platform that stretched into a ring-less square, a young man stood a good distance away from two boys. These two boys in particular were renowned for their skills and vicious rivalry, after six years of attending the Academy; everyone would know who was the best. The dark-haired boy, Sasuke Uchiha, smirked at his slightly shorter opponent. Sasuke of the Uchiha clan wore a black one-piece outfit with his clan's insignia proudly displayed on his back, white bandages wrapped around his left thigh, kunai holsters on each thigh, weapons pouch, blue sandals, and his well-earned forehead protector strapped to his head.

All in all, at twelve years old the kid was a lady-killer. Sasuke's eyes were an absolute onyx hue that matched his unruly hair, which spiked in every direction, bangs that frame the sides of his face, and a tan that made him look to be of exotic descent. Many would argue that the boy looked like he was from Kumo and not Konoha with such tan skin, if not for the three tomas that swirled about in his blood-red eyes, one would not believe he was a true Uchiha._**(1)**_

"Are you sure you want to do this, Naruto-chan?" Sasuke's Sharingan glowed mischievously. In response the boy known as Naruto, grinned foxily, showcasing his sharp canines and scrunching up the whisker-like marks that marred his cheeks.

"Only if you don't mind looking like a chump, Sasgay." Naruto's cobalt blue eyes glinted with a similar vibe of mischief, while a passing breeze played with his spiky crimson hair. Naruto Uzumaki despite being the last of the once great Uzumaki clan, he already had a reputation that created a sense of security for the future generations of Uzumaki to come. Naruto of the Uzumaki clan wore a white sweatshirt, underneath a multi-pocketed blue vest stamped with the Uzumaki swirl on the back, black pants tucked into his blue sandals, kunai holster on his thigh, and weapons pouch on his backside. He also sported the forehead protector of a Konohagakure shinobi, tied proudly to his forehead.

His crimson hair spiked in every direction and flowed into a smooth ponytail that reached his mid-back, similar to his dark-haired counter part, Naruto was a heart-throb. With such similarities between the two fighters, it made sense that various factions of their graduating class had already split up and started cheering for their champion.

...

"I don't see what the big deal is anyway!" A feral-looking boy with a white pup huffed, "I'm easily just as strong as those two idiots." To his disappointment he was bonked over the head by two angry girls who overheard his boasting.

"Shaddup Kiba!" The banshee twins, Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka, screeched in perfect union while threatening to thrash him some more if he ever spoke negatively of their beloved ones. A newcomer stepped into the fray, a calm fellow who wore his hair in a pineapple ponytail, and never put more effort in anything but the bare minimum. The new boy tailed silently by his rather plump friend, though the occasional crunch of potato chips could be heard.

"Despite how stupid Kiba is, he is right y'know." The blonde and pinkette swirled on the calm voice that supported Kiba's accusation, sensing their primal rage, Shikamaru sighed and elaborated.

"I mean that this whole thing is just a glorified popularity contest," Shikamaru allowed a small frown to grace his features. "This is hardly necessary to see who the better one is, I thought it would have been obvious to you all."

"What do you mean Shikamaru-san?" A meek voice made the assembly of students notice Hinata, the resident wall-flower, who blushed under the gazes of her peers.

"He means this fight has no other outcome but to end as a draw." The assembly of children looked around confused, the voice seemingly boomed from nowhere.

"Shino?" Hinata called out hesitantly.

"Yes." A boy clad in grey clothing, which obscured most of his face, stepped from the shadows of a tree. Shino's sudden arrival brought an atmosphere of awkwardness, which was thankfully broken by the crunching of potato chips.

Totally oblivious to the awkward air that lingered among the academy peers, Choji rummaged through his bag of chips while raising a eyebrow quizzically. "Why a draw Shino?.." _*munch munch munch*_

Adjusting his dark spectacles with his pointer finger, Shino turned his attention to the hefty boy. "Because, Uzumaki-san and Uchiha-san are too stubborn to allow one to be better than the other. With such a one-track mindset, those two are due to drag each other through hell and back before this is over."

The Aburame's monologue left the group of children either pondering his large words in confusion, in consideration, or in total shock for that was the longest sentence the mysterious clan heir had every spoke to anyone at the Academy. Impressed with the Aburame yet hidden by a lazy façade, Shikamaru settled onto the ground with his back to the wall.

"Couldn't have said it better myself.. now shut up. The match is about to start." A small smirk tugged at the Nara's stoic face, his eyes gleamed with excitement. He too was curious about who the stronger one would be, he considered the odds and the numbers with those two were incredibly complex.

_'It's best to simply sit back and watch the scenario unveil itself.'_

...

Iruka Umino, instructor of the most promising graduating class of the year, switched his gaze between the two proponents for the 'Rookie of the Year' award. Based on the attentive crowd of students that awaited the contest with impressive patience, and the considerably weak yet noticeable intents that rolled from the Uchiha and Uzumaki, told Iruka one thing. This was about so much more than a simple title, this was about superiority, bragging rights, the end to a debated question. Who is the mightier shinobi: The last son of the Uchiha? Or the prince of the lost Uzumaki?

"Ok boys, I am going to make this short and sweet. This is an exhibition style sparring match, meaning that for this contest the use of jutsu is permitted as such is the use of weapons." Iruka paused for a moment to see if his statement evoked a reaction in the two, none was detected, they had a hell of a poker face.

"Victory will be declared under the conditions of undisputed KO, submission, or my judgement. Is that understood, Naruto? Sasuke?" Iruka eyed them sternly, his brown irises reflected a no-nonsense tolerance and left no room for rebellion.

"Hai!"

Naruto and Sasuke nodded rigidly, Iruka nodded grimly and almost considered calling off the match. Instead he raised his right arm up and brought it down in a quick chop, jumping back at the same time, he made the call.

"...Begin!"

Immediately, Sasuke rushed with a kunai drawn closing the distance in blink of an eye. Naruto parried the blow with the sheath of a tanto, enjoying the perplexed look that scribbled across the Uchiha's face for a moment, Naruto pushed forward with a prodding elbow. In a split second Sasuke promptly vanished, and reappeared with a roundhouse kick aimed for the Uzumaki. Turning smoothly the crimson haired shinobi raised his forearms to intercept the kick, absorbing the impact with a silent grunt, he screeched across the stone tiles of the ring.

"Stings doesn't it?" Sasuke feigned worry for Naruto, while the recipient simply ignored the attempt at goading him. Naruto rammed through a short series of hand seals, and formed a circle around his mouth, "Nah, but this will- _Suiton: Mizurappa_!" A jet of condensed water shot from Naruto's mouth and smacked Sasuke right in the chest, hurling the Uchiha back with the flow of water. Naruto followed up on his momentum and formed a cross composed of his index and middle fingers, _"Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"_

Six doppelgangers identical in every way to Naruto popped into existence and rushed the recovering Uchiha, with hoarse battle cries. "Ahhh, here we come Sasuke!"

Sasuke set his dark gaze upon the rushing assembly of Uzumaki, and settled into a fighting stance with his kunai at hand. Closing his eyes to find peace and concentration, he released a steady breath and welcomed his senses to tunnel vision. The dark tomas of the Sharingan spun hypnotically, a scare tactic, one that caused a moment's hesitation in a clone as Sasuke rushed forward to evade a delayed left hook. Dispatching said clone with a palm strike to the throat, he spun flawlessly into a leaping knee that caught another's chin. Two down and two more upon him, Sasuke found himself assaulted with a barrage of coordinated but otherwise inferior strikes. Shoving his kunai brandishing hand into one clone's chest, and spinning evasively to deliver a shattering backhand to the other. Sasuke leaped ahead and run through a string of hand seals, and smirked at the remaining clones and the real Naruto.

"Enough games Naruto, spare me the decoys._ Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu!_" A volley of fireballs rained down upon the arena in a wide stream that battered the field, kicking up dust from the constant impact.

Landing in the midst of the arena, the Uchiha graduate settled into a predatory crouch with yet another kunai drawn, his enhanced eyes scanning through the screen of smoke. A slight whistle in the undisturbed air reached his ears, eyes widening in realization, Sasuke leaped to the left in time to see a fuma shuriken whiz by and imbued itself into the stone tiles. Gradually the light began to reveal the battlefield once more, and Sasuke was welcomed to the sight of a casually slouched Naruto.

"Hey there you are teme, almost thought you lost your nerve and ran off on me." Sasuke sneered in response, the tomas of his Sharingan twirled menacingly. "Please," Naruto blinked for a moment, and found Sasuke's fist stretching forward to strike the next. "You don't stand a chance dobe." Sasuke's fist sink into the redhead's face, knocking Naruto's head back with little -no- resistance.

"What the-" Sasuke's fist was stuck in the Uzumaki's jaw, and wouldn't budge for the life of him. Noticing his strain the shorter boy chuckled aloud, "Confused teme, you should be I call it _Sutikki Bushin no Jutsu."_

"Sticky clones?" Sasuke questioned the ingenuity of Naruto, the redhead nodded with a smirk on his face despite the fist implanted firmly in it. "Cool huh? Oh teme if I were you I would worry about the punch that's gonna win me the match and make you look like a total chump." Sasuke's followed the subtle hint and noticed the fast approaching shadow of another figure, without much thought, Sasuke clamped an iron grip over the clone's mouth and grunted due to the effort this would take.

"Thanks for the tip!" Sasuke twirled on his heels and yanked the sticky clone from his place and slammed the creation into the real Naruto, sending the two crimson haired boys bounding across the stone tiles until they came to a painful rest. Sasuke tried to rid his hands of the remaining green residue that stuck to his hands, infuriated with the strength of the gross substance. How the hell did Naruto come up with those kind of things. Though Sasuke was quite pleased when he found his opponent in the same 'sticky' situation, the head on collision and impact with his sticky clone led to the Uzumaki being covered with multiple spots of the green substance.

Sasuke looked on in mild amusement at Naruto's misfortune, "Ah now look at what you made me do bastard." Naruto removed his blue vest and tossed it outside the ring. "I really liked that one." Naruto pouted rather childishly despite the crowd that watched him.

Sasuke sighed and shook his head in annoyance, he mumbled a little too loudly. "Baka."

Now clad only in his white sweatshirt, Naruto placed a fist into his hand and cracked the knuckles rather loudly. "Time to step things up a bit, huh?" Naruto stated casually and threw his arms out to his sides with the palms facing out, instantly streams of brilliant blue chakra flowed from his arms and whipped around wildly until they took the form of thick chains with spikes adorning them. Naruto grinned when the crowd cheered at the sudden appearance of the chakra constructs, the look of hesitation that reflected across Sasuke's face was pure gold.

"Pretty cool huh teme?" Caught off guard the Uchiha's response was a bit late and lacking in the usual bite, he was impressed by the technique but wouldn't admit it to that fool. Suddenly the chains began to whirl around the redhead in a protective manner that created a harsh whistle and breeze, Sasuke braced himself and stood fearlessly.

Without warning the chains shot forth at rapid speeds toward Sasuke, thanking his lineage silently, Sasuke rolled to the right and took off in a full sprint to avoid the second chain that easily shattered the stone tiles of the ring. The three tomas of Sasuke's Sharingan spun continuously as they analyzed the chakra constructs, which were a bit harder to track due to their lack of physical composition. Contrary to popular belief the Sharingan could not see the future or predict all forms of attack, his ability to dance around taijutsu experts and powerful ninjutsu was due to his own reflexes plus the kekkei genkai.

_'I better find a way to get in close, or he may just finish me off.'_ Laying his eyes on the forgotten fuma shuriken, Sasuke mentally traced a path through the onslaught of chains and followed it accurately until he recovered the tool. The smirk that was about to form on his face was erased when the chains came barring down upon him, quickly cartwheeling to the left, Sasuke hurled the shuriken in mid-flight.

Crushing pain suddenly shot through the lone Uchiha, one of the chains had latched upon his ankle and constricted the muscle like a snake that caught its prey. With a simple flick of his wrist Naruto summoned his other chain to deflect the fuma shuriken, and another small movement brought the captured Uchiha to him. "Well. Well. Well, look who ain't so high and mighty anymore mister 'fancy' eyes." Naruto teased him as he commanded the other chain to wrap around Sasuke's abdomen and arms.

"Now that I've got you, submit. Surrender yourself or I will crush you." Naruto's vocals dropped a bit and his eyes grew chilling cold, the tightening of the chains around Sasuke's ribs was testament to his willingness to do it. Despite the pressure that was building up, the Uchiha refused to show weakness.

"Never." Sasuke's bloodline limit twirled for emphasis, he withheld a grunt of pain from escaping, his pride was at stake. _'There's no way in hell I'm giving that idiot this victory!'_

"Don't be stubborn teme I will do it. Either you surrender or Iruka's going to be explaining how all your bones were reduced to dust." Naruto was a bit surprised by the conviction his tone held, if he was a spectator, even he would believe that statement. But he was actually bluffing, as much as he wanted to win he wouldn't kill a fellow shinobi over a petty match.

_'But I might just break an arm or two, to win this.' _Willing the chains to tighten around the bounded Uchiha, Sasuke's face contorted into a mix of pain and rage as his face grew bright red from improper blood flow. Naruto shook his head in disappointment and hollered out to the fool, " Come on Sasuke, this match isn't worth your well-being! Live to fight another day, or -"

In the mid-sentence, Sasuke's body bursted into a flock of hawks that cawed and dispersed across the sky above the arena. The birds began to flock together and create a tight circle that steadily shrunk in diameter and lowered in altitude, until Naruto found himself surrounded by the fowls.

"Genjutsu!" Naruto cursed the branch of jutsu and summoned his chakra chains to him, he mimicked the trapping formation of the birds, and the chains rotated around him in a protective field once more. Scanning the field for any sign of his opponent, Naruto felt an immense spike in chakra that drew his attention to the rumbling of the stone beneath him. Thrusting his chains into the ground, Naruto shot himself into the air in a single bound. The ground beneath his feet caved in suddenly and shot forth a massive inferno that chased him into the sky, Sasuke emerged from the adjusted earth with his jutsu in tow.

"_Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"_

Naruto hastily reacted in time to avoid the worst of the flames, summoning his chains once more, the constructs instinctively responded and coiled over the Uzumaki in protective layers. Shrouding him from the fireball at the very last second, Naruto screamed inside his chain armor that didn't prevent all the heat from afflicting him. Crashing into the arena, once again disfiguring the Academy's sparring ring, the dust settled to show a panting and slightly burned Naruto, his chakra chains clattered lifelessly to the ground and dispersed with a deafening clang. Naruto rose to his legs shakily, and observed the disheveled state of his dark-haired opponent.

Sasuke was bit worse for wear as well, covered in dirt and small cuts that riddled his arms, legs, and clothing. Sweaty and visibly starting to tire, yet Sasuke's Sharingan still burned brightly in rebellion, his chakra capacity had increased to accommodate the strain of wielding the cursed bloodline for greater durations. Drawing a uniquely shaped dagger from his weapons pouch, Sasuke brandished the wickedly curved blade that was slightly larger than the average kunai.

"You up for some swordplay?" Sasuke flipped the blade into reverse grip and brought up his guard, simply unsheathing his tanto, Naruto ignored the question and shot forward with a primitive battle cry. Prepared when Sasuke met his sprint half way in a mere moment, Naruto's reflexes took over when he slid clear under Sasuke's swipe. Twirling on his knees Naruto turned and lunged at the Uchiha's unprotected back, only to be stalled by a heel to the chin. Backflipping with the momentum of the kick to gain some space, Naruto threw his tanto at Sasuke. Parrying the blade and shooting forward to capture it, now dual-wielding blades, Sasuke sped toward the retreating Naruto. Pulling up the sleeves of his sweatshirt, where two identical seals resided on his wrists, the redhead bit his thumbs and smeared blood on them.

"Take this!" Naruto threw his arms forward as over two dozen shuriken popped into existence and sailed toward Sasuke. Cursing to himself Sasuke quickly adjusted the blades to opposite grips and leaped forward, his Sharingan going into overtime to calculate the various trajectories. Sasuke concluded that a least a third of the tools were off course, which left eighteen more that could hit their mark.

Praying silently to himself in preparation, "Eyes don't fail me now." Sasuke began to rotate and spin in mid-air, smacking rows of shuriken away with the rapid interval of blade swipes he completed, sparks sprayed forth with each collision, and a few shuriken actually slipped through his blade barrage. Ignoring the stinging sensations Sasuke parried the last set with a vertical slash from Naruto's tanto, and deflected some with his kunai. The Uchiha genius smirked to himself as the crowd reacted to his graceful dance in the midst of the deadly projectiles, forming a string of hand seals as he descended upon his opponent Sasuke smiled at the Uzumaki's pissed visage.

"_Katon:__ Hibashiri!"_ Tracing a circle in the air with his blades, sparks followed Sasuke's movements and the air before him ignited into a ring of fire. Which shot forth and splashed upon the arena, surrounding Naruto in an unsavory inferno in only a few seconds. Landing in a crouch, Sasuke stood before Naruto in the burning ring of fire, breathing a bit more heavily than earlier.

"I think you have something that belongs to me," Naruto eyed his tanto that Sasuke wielded rather proficiently, Kami he hated how Sasuke made everything look so effortlessly easy. Sasuke smirked and shook his head in disagreement, "Come and take it then Naruto-chan."

In an instant Naruto was upon Sasuke once more, throwing wild kicks and jabs, trying to lead the Uchiha into the flames. Sasuke caught on and forced Naruto back on the defense when he began to slash and hack at the Uzumaki with little regard for safety. Swift shuffling on his feet and straining his neck allowed Naruto to slide away from the blades, until Naruto finally backflipped away and ran through a quick series of hand seals, thrusting out his palms in a cupped fashion he hollered. _"Fūton: __Reppūshō_!"

Caught of guard Sasuke gasped as he was suppressed and tossed through the air by an immense burst of wind, the resulting air pressure banished the ring of flames and left the spectators in awe at the raw power of the last Uzumaki. Bouncing off the stone tiles until he righted himself into a rolling crouch, Sasuke unconsciously felt his ribs and hissed at the touch, he was injured. Naruto dropped to a single knee to catch his breath after using such a advanced technique, it like his chakra chains were experiencing their first field test, and their strain was starting to hinder him.

_'Damn, teme's still as strong as ever, I'm starting to run low on chakra. I got to make this next move count.'_ Naruto gritted his teeth and forced himself to his feet, despite the burning pain that flashed through his body at the moment. Unknown to him, Sasuke was in the same boat. Standing to his full height Sasuke addressed Naruto from his place on the other side of the ring, "Hey! Naruto this fight has gone on long enough don't you think so?"

Naruto seemed taken back by the nonchalant use of the statement but agreed nonetheless, "Yeah it has. You thinking what I'm thinking too?"

Sasuke nodded and offered a true smile that quickly turned chillingly sinister, "Finishing this brawl, so we can all go home." Naruto nodded in agreement and smiled an equally unnerving but fox-like grin, "Of course bastard."

Sasuke nodded in understanding before he broke off into a chain of hand seals, while Naruto's chakra spiked immensely once more and the very winds seemed to gather around him to support his next attack. Sasuke's cheeks swelled up with intense heat that threatened to burn his mouth, yet he remained calm and spat a ball of pure _white fire_ into his hand. Resisting the instinctive urge to flail his arms in panic, Sasuke remembered his training and focused on manipulating the fire chakra, and in just a moment the flame expanded and raced up his arm.

Naruto inhaled heavily and exhaled as his technique was nearing peak strength, hands together, his formation reminiscent of praying. Opening his eyes he watched Sasuke tame the white-hot flames that engulfed his entire right arm, yet the boy seemed more concentrated than fearful or in pain. Flexing his fingers experimentally Sasuke watched in silent awe at his progress, this technique had taken him some time to even get to this _stage_.

Sasuke turned his now dark eyes upon Naruto, fully intent on rushing into this with blind faith, he could no longer handle the drain of the Sharingan. Both boys meet each others gaze evenly, equal in everyway. There was no arrogance, no inferiority or superiority in their eyes, just mutual respect and a bit of admiration for one another's skills. Wordlessly Sasuke took off in a full-blown sprint, his speed fooling the eyes of the slower folk with fiery after-images. Naruto shoved his right palm behind him silently and the _Reppūshō_ hurled him forward at break neck speeds, matching the Uchiha's hasty approach for the first time.

Raising their respective jutsu, the Uchiha and Uzumaki shared an excited smile despite their predicament just inches from impact. Driving their ninjutsu brandishing hands forward without hesitation, they clashed.

_"Fūton: __Kami Oroshi!_"

_"Katon: Hōōken!"_

_Boom_...Instantly a brilliant beam of light overtook the two boys and blinded all within the immediate vicinity, a deafening explosion followed right after that sent tremors throughout the Academy grounds. Incinerating the stone and earth that made up the arena, a massive dust cloud washed over the entire area and left many graduates panicking in reaction to the sudden explosion of elements. When the dust cleared and Iruka was able to gather and calm his students, all eyes instinctively went to the demolished ring in search of a victor. None could voice their thoughts as they were astonished by the result of a battle between the best of their class, factions scrambled to the separate craters that the fighters unwillingly resided in.

The whole time Iruka stood there, petrified with guilt and fear for his indecisiveness, if only he had intruded just a bit earlier. Instead he found himself just as sucked into the hype of the battle as his own students, and for this Iruka felt ashamed. Shaking his head vigorously he grimaced and schooled his features to the greatest expression of seriousness he could muster, _'Now is not the time for such thoughts, my students need me.'_

...

The Hokage sat quietly as he absorbed the events that his treasured crystal ball had allowed him to view from afar. One thing for sure that summed up the man's musing was that the battle quickly escalated from that of two fresh rookie genin, to something worthy of a grander stage. Dare he say even the final stage of the Chunin Exams, those two created a contagious excitement that stirred and aroused even the distant of folk. The thought of such hot-blooded youth brought a smile to the kage's features as he mused over his ancient past.

"So Hokage-sama, those were the two kids you were referring to?" A man dressed in casual black shinobi pants and shirt inquired from behind the cover of an orange novel.

"Indeed Kakashi-kun, those are the two. Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha." Kakashi Hatake raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the names of the two rookie genin, "Uzumaki huh? I haven't heard that name since Kushina-san was still alive, is he her-"

"Hai. Naruto is Kushina's son, he acts just like her you know." The Hokage smiled warmly at the thought of the deceased woman, her smile could light up any person's day.

"And the other boy is the last surviving Uchiha. How does his brain check out, is the kid sane at all anymore?" The kage nodded in understanding of the Anbu operative's question, and his smile fell into a grimace.

"More or less, his therapist reports that Sasuke has made considerable progress in the last two years and seems to be letting go of his anger. But still it is clear that the boy plans to find his _father_ and bring him to justice for his crimes." Kakashi understood the kind of damage losing your entire family at such a young age could do to a child, and didn't put it past the boy to be a bit on the disturbed side. They all were a bit disturbed in their profession.

"Well that sounds promising. Based on his performance, I would say that in a few years he'll rise through the ranks and get the chance to cut that man down." Kakashi found himself hissing abit at the thought of the traitorous Uchiha. "The same can be said for the Uzumaki, I remember hearing tales of the mighty clan."

"Good to know that you agree, because you will be taking them on as your students." The Hokage smirked in amusement as he noticed Kakashi's lone eye widen in shock, he swiftly pocketed his romance novel in a show of seriousness.

"Students? Hokage-sama, with all due respect I cannot take on those two... it is true that they show promise and would definitely flourish under my stead. But the village needs me as a silent sentinel to wreak havoc upon our enemies from the shadows. The organization needs my strength and experience more than a pair of brat genin. I-"

"Silence Kakashi." The man whispered harshly while overwhelming chakra flooded the room and left visible cracks in the walls and floor of the office, the Hokage's killing intent raged on quietly like a coming storm and promptly caused the famed Kakashi of the Sharingan to freeze up.

Satisfied that the he regained the shinobi's respect and attention, the Hokage cleared his throat casually. "As I was saying Kakashi-kun, you _will_ take Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha on as your students. That is not up for discussion." The Hokage narrowed his eyes dangerously at the elite shinobi that served him, "But before you interrupted me I was going to tell you that you will stay with the Anbu Black ops, but will have your hours cut back some. The village still needs your abilities to protect it from the shadows, but I will also need your assistance for this project."

"Project?" Kakashi found the peace of mind to speak once more in his reserved tone, and inquired. The older shinobi nodded and tossed a file on his desk, scattering an array of papers upon it. Casting his trained eyes over the documents, one caught Kakashi's attention in particular and he read the title aloud to himself.

"The Hokage Initiative." Kakashi allowed the words to flow smoothly mouth from his voice, despite his vague understanding of the project. "What is this Hokage-sama?"

"The Hokage Initiative, a.k.a. Team Hokage, is a project that was created during the last days of the Third Shinobi War by the joint effort of Danzo and myself." Pausing to allow Kakashi to take in the information, he was pleased to see no visible reaction from the news. "Prior to the Iwa's surrender, he approached me inquiring of how would I continue to protect this village as the world evolved. Kumo, Iwa, Suna, Kiri, Kusa, Ame. All would remain threats to the national security of the Fire Country and Konohagakure. Inspired by the generations of shinobi that allowed our village to survive three world wars." The Hokage paused to stand and look out upon the village as Kakashi scanned the documents while listening intently as well.

"I decided that I must follow in the footsteps of my predecessors. The Shodai and Nidaime trained the Sandaime along with the village's current councilors to be a force during the very first war, and down the line the Sandaime trained the Legendary Sannin. They along with your father, Konoha's White Fang, won us the second war. So I have decided to follow in their footsteps, and train my own group on genin...to create something greater." Kakashi's lone eye shot to his former sensei and commander-in-chief, Minato Namikaze.

At the age of 37, the blond shinobi still carried every bit of charm and intelligence that he held in his younger days, heck if not more than ever. His blond locks had grown incredibly shaggy and sprawled down to the mid of his back, with bangs that draped over his shoulders and covered his forehead. His tan skin seemed to glow even more radiant than before as well, the epitome of health and life. The Yellow Flash of Konoha, wore his typical emblazoned cloak and casual blue shinobi attire underneath.

"Kakashi I must admit something to you, something I should have told you years ago," The older shinobi turned his vermilion slit eyes upon Kakashi with shame. "I am dying Kakashi."

Kakashi's initial reaction was alot more professional than what Minato had anticipated it from being, he hid a nostalgic smile to himself, Kakashi was always shrewd like that. "How?"

"The Kyuubi." Kakashi's eyes narrowed involuntarily at the mention of the accursed demon, "The night it attacked and the Sandaime assisted me in sealing half the beast's chakra into myself. I believed that the advanced nature of the_ Hakke no Fūin Shiki_, would allow me to handle the strain of the fox's demonic chakra." His permanently altered vermilion eyes were a testament to his status as the village jinchuriki, Minato smiled sadly.

"I was wrong." Turning back toward the window as Kakashi tried to absorb all the information properly, Minato continued to explain. "The Kyuubi's chakra has eaten at my health for the past twelve years, and has left me with a shortened life span. It is estimated that I will die in six years. The crazy thing is one would never know from the youthful appearance the fox gives me, that I was dying." The blond chuckled dryly at the irony.

Kakashi struggled to bury the personal feelings that made him want to jump over the desk and beat the living crap out of his sensei for hiding such a secret from his sole surviving student. "Why didn't you ever tell me? We could have found a way to fix this, we could track Tsunade-san down and bring her back to cure you." Kakashi argued sternly yet without raising his voice to his sensei.

Minato disregarded the comment with a dismissive wave of his hand, "The more people who knew, the more complicated things would become. I was content with dying suddenly and leaving the village with a Godaime Hokage to replace me." Minato peered out the window at the bustling streets of Konoha, a small smile tugged at his lips.

"Besides Kakashi-kun, Jiraiya-sama has been tracking that woman for years now and has come up short. I do not have time to wait around and hope that she finds the heart to return to Konoha and _attempt_ to cure me." Minato stated rather offhandedly, "I am beyond saving now, my only hope is to see this project through to the end."

Gathering up the documents that detailed the plans and timeline that followed the six-year deadline the Yondaime Hokage had to live, the Hokage shared the project's objective. "In the end one of those boys, Naruto Uzumaki or Sasuke Uchiha, will become my successor for the position of Hokage and as jinchuriki of the Kyuubi."

Showing off a bit of that speed that the Yondaime was infamous for, Kakashi found the blond Hokage before him in an instant, a comforting hand on his shoulder and the fatherly smile that he used often when they were still Team Minato. He genuinely asked this time. "Will you, Kakashi, help an old man fulfill his dying wish?"

Offering one of his reputed eye-smiles, Kakashi nodded. "Hai, sensei."

* * *

_Sup guys it's Taijen and I'm back again! Yeah! It feels good to get this idea out of my head, I've been struggling to gather inspiration to finish my other Naruto fanfictions. I have hit a huge case of writer's block on chapter six of 'Turn of Events: Reloaded', while I honestly haven't put much thought into chapter four of 'A Few Steps Back'. But I kind of feel like this has allowed me to release some creative juices, so tell me what you guys think. This story can go either way, one-shot or epic length fic. Anyone hope you guys review and check out my other fics if you're not familiar with me._

_Those wondering about things must know that this world is based on a few divergent factors. Here are a few:_

_1. Minato and Kushina never married and conceived Naruto, Naruto's father shall remain nameless for a while. Minato is a bachelor man!_

_2. Minato is the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki._

_3. Sarutobi is dead._

_These are just a few factors, things will be further explained later on, but for now any questions you guys have. Just feel free to PM me._

_Notes : _

_1. Those wondering what I meant by the tone of Sasuke's skin, I was quite literal in my description. In this story Sasuke has a unique bloodline mixed in with his Uchiha blood. Which is why he has greater natural talent and chakra reserves, though this will become more clear as time passes. And his darker skin tone. Also those trying to picture how tan, imagine him with the skin tone of someone like Iruka or the First Hokage. Not quite as dark as those from Kumo._

_Character Stats:_

_Minato Namikaze- Ninjutsu: 5 /Taijutsu: 5 / Genjutsu: 3.5 / Speed:5 / Strength:3.5 / Intelligence: 5 / Stamina:5 / Hand Seals:5 / Total : 37.5_

_Naruto Uzumaki- __Ninjutsu: 3.5 /Taijutsu: 2 / Genjutsu: 1 / Speed: 2 / Strength: 2.5 / Intelligence: 2 / Stamina: 3.5 / Hand Seals: 3.5 / Total : 20_

___Sasuke Uchiha- ____Ninjutsu: 3 /Taijutsu: 3 / Genjutsu: 1 / Speed: 2.5 / Strength: 3 / Intelligence: 2 / Stamina: 2.5 / Hand Seals: 3 / Total 20_

_Vault of Jutsu:_

_______(__Sutikki Bushin no Jutsu)- Sticky Clone Jutsu. Ninjutsu, C-rank, Supplementary. A jutsu derived from the Second Hokage's original technique, similar to normal shadow clones minus the memory and exp. sharing, but can be used as traps and decoys for opponents._

_________(__Katon: Hōōken)- Fire Release: Phoenix Fist. Ninjutsu, C-rank, Supplementary, Short range. An original technique created by Sasuke Uchiha, wielding white-hot flames the user attacks with the mystical flames of the ancient phoenix. The nature of the jutsu's variation is limited at the moment, and the ability to be used by others is unknown as well._


End file.
